With officials looking on, the Expedition 30 prime and backup crews conducted the traditional flag-raising ceremony outside their Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarter in Baikonur, Kazakhstan on November 2, 2011 as they prepare for the launch of the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft on November 14. On the left, prime Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin hoist the flag of the Russian Federation; in the center, Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank of NASA and his backup, NASA’s Joe Acaba (hidden) raise the U.S. flag; on the right, backup crewmembers Sergei Revin and Gennady Padalka raise the flag of Kazakhstan. Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov
Photographer Photographer: Victor Zelentsov
Date November 2, 2011